It never ceases to amaze me how commentators such as Thomas F. Schaller purposely mix up the issue of today's illegal immigrants with the history of legal immigration ("Hostility toward recent immigrants a long U.S. tradition," July 11).

Yes, there was anti-immigrant bias in our past, but the country has since learned that legal immigration is one of the engines that help drive the economy so that everyone has a chance to benefit from American capitalism.

The people objecting to the current immigration policy are not against immigrants, as Mr. Schaller suggests when he asks "why is there so much consternation about the latest, Latino-dominated generation of American immigrants?"

The consternation is over illegal Latino immigrants, who have crossed our borders and ignored our immigration laws, used our schools to educate their children, stressed our medical facilities and taken advantage of our social services.

I see no resolution to the conflict until the Latino community itself begins to support immigration policies that actively discourage illegal immigration.